Mar 12 Egypt hijacks web to mine crypto

The Egyptian government is hijacking consumers’ Internet connections to mine cryptocurrency. Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that outfits linked to the state are redirecting users’ online traffic to malware that links up to their computing power to mine Monero cryptocurrency.

The researchers also found that devices being used to block dozens of human rights, political, and news websites including Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, Al Jazeera, Mada Masr, and HuffPost Arabic.

Monero was also at the heart of a recent disclosure relating to the discovery of malware on Android devices. The technology, discovered by security software outfit Malwarebytes, taps into a device’s processing capabilities to mine the cryptocurrency.